Our survey says: Anyone but those guys!

Just a short post this time, and maybe a bit of a UK-centric one (sorry). This is about voting, given that we are going to vote in the European (and in some places local) elections in a few days time. Should you vote? Yes Why? See below.

It’s often thrown out there (particularly at younger women, or people from any other group that used to be denied the vote) that you should vote because someone fought for your right to do so. Suffragettes suffered so that you could put a cross on a bit of paper, and you can’t even be bothered to do that. My teenage response was always “well I didn't ask them to”. It’s horribly selfish, but there’s something to it. I think the someone-fought-for-your-vote argument is a bit of a red herring. But it’s close to something important.

What really is important is why anyone ever thought it was worth fighting for. What made them think it mattered so much? Quite simply because a vote is power. Individually, it’s not much, but collectively it is. That’s democracy.

Think about a world in which women (or any other group) didn't have the vote. How would that change politics? Well, with no fear of losing votes, government can implement policies that are unfavourable to women. Issues that women care about specifically just don’t even make it onto the table for discussion.

So what happens now, in a time when young people are particularly bored and/or disillusioned (understandably) with politics, and express that by not voting? They lose their voice. Issues that affect young people more than others are not even debated; policies that disadvantage young people can be implemented without fear. Your vote may not feel like much, but it’s the nearest thing you have to a gun to the head of the government. “Do/don’t do this, otherwise you’re finished.”

What about the argument that a single vote is too small to make a difference? Well that’s easily countered; other people vote as well! It only works if enough people vote, but all you can do is get out and vote yourself and trust that others will do the same. The more people that do it, the more others will follow; that’s how collective stuff works.

What about the argument that there’s no-one worth voting for? I sympathise with that one, I really do. I think everyone does. But look at it this way: some parties are more worth voting against than others. So vote for the least bad option, and see it as a vote against all the others. It sort of is. It’s a completely fair answer to “who do you want to win?” to say “anyone but those guys!”

There’s a real danger at the moment that certain smaller, more extremist parties (who shall remain nameless) could have a real shot, given people’s disillusionment. Other people will be voting for them. You can’t stop that. All you can do is vote for someone else; that’s the power you have to neutralise their effect. Even if your vote is only damage limitation in that case, there’s nothing wrong or insignificant about that.

So get to the polls. You are very unlikely to regret it if you do, but you might well seriously regret it if you don’t.